Live from Germany: The Sam & Dave Show

Here’s a quick hit while I’m fumbling my way through Europe…

A while back, we featured a great clip of soulmen Sam & Dave tearing it up in front of a TV studio audience in Offenbach, Germany, 1967. Turns out there’s more prime footage from the same concert – including performances by the hugely underrated Lee Dorsey, Arthur Conley and Linda Carr.

Dorsey, of course, is best known for his massive hit from ’66, Working in a Coal Mine. But most of his classic stuff never showed up on the Billboard charts. I highly recommend anything he recorded with legendary New Orleans producer Allen Toussaint and the world’s funkiest rhythm section, The Meters – including an essential album from 1970, “Yes We Can.” As these next two clips demonstrate, Dorsey also was a consummate performer (although even Bruce Willis would have a fighting chance if he were backed by Sam & Dave’s tough-as-nails touring band). And let’s hand it to the Germans for capturing this historic occasion with first-rate sound and camera work. Hard to find better footage of live soul music from the era:

Next, Memphis meets Motown as Linda Carr covers a ’66 favorite by The Supremes. Carr eventually became a fixture on the U.K.’s Northern Soul scene. Here she pledges allegiance to the two great strains of American soul music:

Otis Redding protege Arthur Conley scored a huge hit in ’67 with this next tune, released on the Atlantic label. Don’t blame the current crop of country stars with the whole name-checking thing – it started right here. Although I have to admit, Brad Paisley ain’t got nothin on Conley:

Can’t call it a post without another great clip of the masters at work. Sam & Dave, once again showing why it was a fool’s game to follow them on stage in the Sixties: